Hind Etin

Lady Margaret sits in her father's door Sewing a silken seam She's heard a note from Elmond's wood And wished that she was there She's thrown her needle to her side And the thread down to her knee And she is gone to Elmond's wood As fast as she could fly She's walked among the bustling wood And sat down by the stone And by it came a hind etin Saying lady, leave alone You may not pull the flowers here Nor shade under this tree For I'm the keeper of this wood And none may go but me I heard a note from Elmond's wood It floated on the wind The sweetest music ere I heard That drew me here within And something in her winsome smile It caused his heart to moan And he's fluted her into a trance To keep her as his own He's got the branches from the oak The rushes from the stream And he has made a shady bower To keep his lady in She had not been so very long So long away from home Til she grew heavy round the waist A child coming on She had not been but seven years Seven years away Til she has born him seven sons To keep her company But her heart, it mourned the loss Of the world she's left behind That every hour of the day The tears come rolling down Then up and spoke her eldest son Sat at his father's knee 'What makes our mother for to weep And mourn continually?' 'Your mother was a king's daughter Sprung from some high decree She would've had some noble prince If not been stole by me' So that night as they lay in one bower Before the close of day The eldest took his flute in hand And he began to play He seldid such a soothing note For he had learnt it well His father fell into a trance His mother followed his fell She's tucked her children in her arms And started for the town And every mile this lady ran Her heart was beating strong And when she reached her father's house It was not even day And not one hour had even passed Since she had been away The king's awoken in the wall And called his court around And he has sent his merry men To burn the woodland down They lived inside the royal house For long and lovely day And when the king he was deceased Etin to the crown was laid